Comfort matters as we age. Small compressible pillow. For truck camping 2 pillows from home.
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Pillows
- Thread starter Glenn MacGrady
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The Trekology Aluft Pro inflatable pillow that I currently use has a retaining strap that I position around my sleeping pad. It is also ergonomically wedged shaped, 5 inches on one side and 3 inches on the other side. I prefer to place the 5 inch portion under my neck with the 3 inch portion under my head facing away from my shoulders. This helps lock the pillow in place and I find this position the most comfortable.
I sleep on both my back and side and prefer a tall pillow. The 5 inch portion is taller than most inflatable camping pillows available and I can add further height by placing soft items in the underside of the removable cover if required.
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Some roll up Thermarest model. Had it for years and it works well.
I’ve been using a Thermarest pillow sleeve and a down vest as a pillow for years. The combination is very light weight and compact and in the morning I have a nice warm garment to put on when I get out of the bag.
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I like inflatable pillows. They pack really small and the firmness is easily adjusted. I have a variety of sizes of homemade pillow cases since the pillows themselves don’t seem to last all that long. So I have had a number of different brands of pillows and have no brand preference, they just need to be on sale when I need one. My air mattresses also have homemade covers made out of old sheets. Using these covers makes the pillows and mats more comfortable, especially on warm nights.
After years of experimenting with clothes in a stuff sack and slippery mini pillows, I tried an LL Bean camp pillow and haven’t looked back. It’s bulky but fits in my sl bag stuff sack. Can’t recall how old it is (it’s old) but it has flannel on both sides - the current offering has flannel on one side only and is too firm for my tastes.
Last year I was gifted a pair of inflatable camping pillows. His & Hers. I liked mine, she didn't like hers. So I guess I have a spare.
I used to use a stuff sack stuffed with spare clothes which was OK but I now have an inflatable pillow (I don't recall what brand) and it is very nice. I can vary the amount of inflation to suit my needs.
Like several folks who already posted, I use a Thermorest Compressible which I like a lot, but it only compresses so much and it's definitely a luxury. I've been eyeing the Goosefeet Gear Down Pillow lately, though. Anybody here use one?
https://goosefeetgear.com/products/down-pillows/
https://goosefeetgear.com/products/down-pillows/
I used to be able to sleep anywhere, anyhow, with a pack or helmet for a pillow... no more. I'm well past the age where I can go to bed fine and wake up injured... it's happened! And then it takes a week to get that kink out of your neck and back. A good pillow is no longer a luxury item while camping.
Years back, in my late 30s, I just used some spare clothing in my sleeping bag's stuff sack and called it good. I even made a silnylon bag with a piece of fleece on the side for this (still use it, but with an air pillow). I moved off the ground into a hammock in my early 40s and discovered that my neck placement needed to be different, and bought a cheap self-inflating air pillow that weighed about a half pound. I eventually ponied up and bought a Sea to Summit Aeros at 3oz or so and have been very happy with it. Well worth the cost. I like that you can adjust the thickness with the amount of air. Inflates easily.
On the ground, I usually take my shoes and put the heels together, spread the toes open a little, and set them under my head under my groundsheet, then use the air pillow on top, as normal, and it gives me a little extra boost in height not needed in the hammock. Sometimes I use a piece of split firewood or a rock or two to keep the shoes from sliding away from me.
Years back, in my late 30s, I just used some spare clothing in my sleeping bag's stuff sack and called it good. I even made a silnylon bag with a piece of fleece on the side for this (still use it, but with an air pillow). I moved off the ground into a hammock in my early 40s and discovered that my neck placement needed to be different, and bought a cheap self-inflating air pillow that weighed about a half pound. I eventually ponied up and bought a Sea to Summit Aeros at 3oz or so and have been very happy with it. Well worth the cost. I like that you can adjust the thickness with the amount of air. Inflates easily.
On the ground, I usually take my shoes and put the heels together, spread the toes open a little, and set them under my head under my groundsheet, then use the air pillow on top, as normal, and it gives me a little extra boost in height not needed in the hammock. Sometimes I use a piece of split firewood or a rock or two to keep the shoes from sliding away from me.
Somewhere I ran across a recommendation for the Coop travel pillow which is filled with shredded memory foam and decided to try it. It is heavier and less compact than the camping pillows that others have mentioned but I really like the comfort of the Coop pillow for side sleeping. According to the FAQs on the Coop website the memory foam in the pillow will feel firmer the colder the temp. and will feel solid at temp. below 50 deg. so maybe not a good choice for cold weather camping, though I haven't had a problem with it in Louisiana.
coopsleepgoods.com
The Original Travel & Camp Adjustable Pillow
Travel size version of our Original Pillow. Enjoy the comfort of home wherever you travel. Stuff sack included.
coopsleepgoods.com
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I'm in the market for some new pillows and am curious what people like? I currently have off-brand inflatable pillows that are ok, but I often wake up with a stiff neck. It seems like the non-inflatable types just aren't fluffy enough for me, but maybe I just haven't found a good one yet?? Any recommendations?
Like many others, I tried the "extra clothes stuffed in a pillowcase" but it just isn't good enough for me. I'm a side sleeper so I need more pillow than that. I started bringing a regular pillow for a while and that was fine but then I got an inflatable pillow that is pretty good, it's the Klymit Luxe pillow. I also got a sleeping pad that has a built in "pillow" at the top, and between the two I sleep pretty well on the ground.
In a hammock, I hardly need a pillow at all, but having one anyway is that last little finishing touch that makes it extra good.
In a hammock, I hardly need a pillow at all, but having one anyway is that last little finishing touch that makes it extra good.
I do not use a pillow when I sleep in my Warbonnet hammock. Due to an old back injury, a hammock is the most comfortable way for me to sleep when camping. When I cannot hammock camp and sleep on a pad or cot, I need a pillow to position my neck and spine to limit back pain. Over the years, I have tried numerous pillows, including putting clothes in stuff sacks (including some designed to double as pillowcases) and multiple models of inflatable pillows. The Sea to Summit Aeros Down pillow is the most comfortable inflatable pillow I have ever used.
Aeros Down Ultralight Pillow | Sea to Summit
FREE SHIPPING & LIFETIME GUARANTEE. The Aeros™ Down Pillow combines the softness and supportiveness of the Aeros™ pillow series with a luxurious down pillow top. And – as you drift off to sleep, your pillow won’t be sliding off of your mat: the Pillow Lock™ system keeps your pillow right where...
seatosummit.com
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Interesting thread and I don't feel like such an oddball... I use extra clothes, rolled & slid into a small(ish) drybag. Rolling them eliminates the lumps and firmness is adjustable by adding or removing (sometimes smelly) socks, underwear, etc.
I've done this multiuse/makeshift pillow bit myself, and what works better for me is to use "springier" fleece or polyester clothing as the stuffing for the pillow, rather than cotton items like T-shirts or sweatshirts. The cotton compresses until hard, and then I felt like I was using a 2x6 or two, or a 4x4, for head/neck support. The fleece or polyester doesn't compress down hard like the cotton, springs back to fluffy quicker, so is more comfortable than cotton stuffing for me. It worked well enough that I never sprang for the commercially made pillows like Sea to Summit or Thermarest or other brands mentioned. But that's me. Different things work for different people. I've never slept in a hammock, tent only, on inflatable pads. I've got neck, back, shoulder and lumbar problems myself, but the fleece/poly has worked for me, might work better for some others, too. My 5¢ worth (inflation, yuh know!). Good luck to those still in search of the perfect pillow.
